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Rochester man who had drugs in Medina sentenced to jail and probation
ALBION – A Rochester man who was found passed out in a car with drugs in his backpack was sentenced today to six months in the Orleans County Jail, plus five years on probation.
Malcolm Power, 21, pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court on June 17 to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree.
Today he was sentenced by County Court Judge Sanford Church. The judge declined to only sentence Power to Probation and instead gave Power the maximum sentence in a plea agreement.
In other cases:
• Tony Thompson, 59, of Albion was arraigned on eight counts of drug charges for allegedly selling crack cocaine in the Village of Albion. Thompson was arrested on May 12.
Today he was arraigned on four counts each of criminal possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.
He was released on his own recognizance because the crimes aren’t bailable offenses.
• An inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility was offered a plea agreement where he could face four additional years in state prison for allegedly introducing dangerous contraband into the men’s prison in Albion.
James Kaiser, 51, allegedly had the precursors to make methamphetamine and also allegedly possessed 5.25 grams of meth.
He is charged with three counts of promoting prison contraband in the first degree and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
If he pleads guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, he would face up to four more years in prison. He next appears in court on Oct. 14 to consider the plea offer.
Kaiser is currently serving a sentence of 3 years, 6 months for attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
Union for corrections officers overwhelmingly votes to back Blakeman for governor
Press Release, NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA)
ALBANY – Today, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) announced the results of a historic statewide membership endorsement process for Governor of New York, with an overwhelming majority of participating members voting to endorse Bruce Blakeman.
The vote was conducted directly among NYSCOPBA’s statewide membership, marking the first time in the organization’s history that its members have been given the opportunity to participate in a statewide gubernatorial endorsement vote. The final tally was 1,478 members voted and 95 percent of participants voted in favor of the endorsement, a resounding message.
“This is about more than an endorsement. This is about the members of NYSCOPBA having a voice and using it,” said NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers. “For the first time in our organization’s history, we took this decision directly to our statewide membership. We didn’t make this decision behind closed doors. We didn’t make it in a small room with a handful of people. We put it in the hands of the men and women who work inside New York’s correctional facilities every single day — and they spoke loud and clear.”
NYSCOPBA members understand the challenges facing New York’s correctional system because they experience those challenges firsthand. Staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, officer safety, compensation, benefits, and the future of the state’s correctional system directly affect correctional officers and their families.
“The people who work in our prisons know what is happening inside those facilities better than anyone,” Summers said. “They see the staffing shortages. They work the mandatory overtime. They deal with the safety issues. They walk into dangerous situations every day and are expected to keep order and protect both staff and incarcerated individuals. Their voices deserve to be heard when decisions are made about the future of corrections in New York.”
Based on the results of the statewide membership vote, NYSCOPBA is formally announcing its endorsement of Bruce Blakeman for Governor of New York.
The endorsement comes with a commitment from NYSCOPBA to continue pressing for action on the issues its members identified as priorities, including staffing levels, officer safety, mandatory overtime, compensation, benefits, and the long-term future of corrections in New York.
“Bruce Blakeman, this endorsement represents the voice of our membership,” Summers said. “We are ready to have the hard conversations about what it will take to rebuild a correctional system where officers are properly staffed, properly supported and able to do their jobs safely. We want to work with you on the issues that matter to correctional officers and their families.”
The union emphasized that the membership vote represents the beginning of its engagement with the gubernatorial campaign, not the conclusion of it.
“Today we are sending a very clear message: our members want a seat at the table, and they want their voices heard,” Summers said. “This endorsement is not the end of the conversation. It is the beginning. We will continue to fight for the men and women who protect New York’s correctional facilities every day, and we will hold every elected official accountable for how they address the challenges facing our profession and our correctional system.”
Harris Wlcox Inc. in Bergen to be honored on Historic Business Registry
Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley
BERGEN – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) this afternoon will present Harris Wilcox Inc. with a New York State Historic Business Preservation registry certificate recognizing the business’s long-standing service and contributions to Genesee County and the region.
Harris Wilcox Inc. was founded by Harris Wilcox on May 24, 1943. He was a respected business leader and extremely active in the business community. Harris was asked to use his auctioneer skills for a neighbor needing help selling her mother’s estate and she knew Harris Wilcox was the man for the job; and what a job he did!
By the end of the following week, he had two more sales booked. While Holsteins and livestock were the original focus of the company, the real estate division soon followed in 1950.
Harris Wilcox could now proceed with the sale of estate property and contents and settle payouts. Harris’s son, Craig, joined the team in 1966 and eventually his sons Brett and James joined the family business as well.
Brett Wilcox’s son, Cash and his daughter, Madison are the 5th generation of auctioneers and Cash’s wife, Heather, is an active realtor.
While business has always been a priority, Harris and his team still found time to give back to the community that helped build them and still do today. Harris Wilcox Inc. has evolved over the past decade to become identified with successful real property and auctions across New York State and remains a prominent regional business and legacy in the Western NY community.
The award will be presented today at 2:30 p.m. at 59 South Lake Ave. in Bergen.
Moving historian’s office, selling Central Hall are mistakes
Editor:
Such a travesty to now read of the sale of The Central Hall building at 34 East Park St. in Albion.
This sale is the result of Orleans County’s Legislature – with only negative vote against – decision to move the Orleans County Historian’s Office to its ridiculous site now behind Subway in Albion.
Shame on all of you who voted to move this historical library of local artifacts!
Karen Watt
Albion
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Roy-Hart duo on Alfred U. football team
Contributed Photos – Two Roy-Hart graduates, Tysen McCaa, left, and Joey Reiter III, are freshmen members of the Alfred University football team. McCaa, a wide receiver, is majoring in Sports and Health Sciences. Reiter, a running back, is majoring in Business Administration. Last year they helped Barker/Roy-Hart capture the C North Division championship with a 6-0 record.
County declares Central Hall surplus property, will be sold by realtor
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Central Hall building at 34 East Park St. will soon be listed for sale by Woodroe Realty at a price is to be determined. The building is now vacant after the county historian’s office was moved to a spot next to Subway.
ALBION – The county will soon be putting a historic building in Courthouse Square up for sale. The County Legislature on Tuesday authorized Woodroe Realty to the list Central Hall for sale.
Woodroe was among six real estate businesses to submit proposals to the county for selling the building. Woodroe is accepting the smallest seller’s concession fee at 2 percent of the sales price.
The Legislature on Dec. 3, 2025 announced the county historian’s office and the Department of History’s artifacts would be moving to 2,000 square feet of space on the side of a plaza next to Subway.
The county’s Buildings and Grounds staff through the Department of Public Works has completed the move and renovations to the spot next to Subway.
Now that Central hall has been entirely vacated, the County legislature has declared the building as surplus and authorized it to be put up for sale.
The building used to include the County Treasurer’s Office but the treasurer moved to the former Bank of America site at 156 South Main St. in 2024. That is next to Subway.
The historian was working out of the top floor of Central Hall. County officials said the change to the site by Subway is a cost-cutting move that could save $90,000 to $110,000 a year in maintenance and other expenses once the building is sold.
The change also will make the historian’s office more accessible to the public, county officials said. The space is on the first floor and people won’t need to climb stairs to access the building.
Central Hall, a solid red-brick building, was a school from 1882 to 1934, and then was used as the post for the American Legion until the site was bought by the county in 1980.
The county has owned Central Hall the past 46 years. It was used by the treasurer until September 2024 and also previously was the offices for the Probation Department.
The county doesn’t have to pay a lease for the space for the historian’s office. The county approved the five-year agreement where it pays for the cost of utilities and to renovate the site.
The county also will plow the parking lot in the winter. The county already was plowing out the treasurer’s office and some of the spots in the lot that are used for the treasurer’s office.
The Legislature approved the lease with Nomax Albion, LLC, which is owned by Noah Michaels. He reached out to the county about leasing the space in exchange for plowing the parking lot for the plaza.
County, Sheriff’s Employees Association approve new 3-year contract
ALBION – Orleans County and about 50 people in the Sheriff’s Employees Association have approved a new three-year contract with raises from 2027 to 2029.
The union represents employees in the Sheriff’s Office who are not deputies, including 32 corrections officers, about a dozen public safety dispatchers and four clerical staff.
The current contract with the OC Sheriff’s Employees Association was ratified in 2022 and expires in December. The County Legislature today approved the contract following a vote last week by the union membership.
This was the third and final contract settled with county unions this year, following successful negotiations with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and CSEA.
“The Legislature is very happy to conclude our third contract negotiation this year and we commend OCSEA for working collaboratively to reach a deal that is good for their members and fair to taxpayers,” said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer. “As with our previous contracts, both sides used a list of 13 comparable counties from across the state as a barometer for negotiations which helped move things along.”
When looking at those comparable numbers from the 13 similar-size counties, Orleans County was paying clerical staff, correction officers and dispatchers less than the median of the 13 counties, Welch said.
To address this, in 2027 the county compressed the 2026 salary schedule down to four steps. That move created approximately a 4 percent increase for the clerical staff, an 8 percent increase for the correctional officers and a 6 percent increase for the dispatchers in each step.
The county also agreed to 2.5 percent increase every six months beginning January 2028.
“The contract structure will bring Orleans County to the median wages of the comparable counties in a way that is manageable with our budget constraints,” Welch said.
Kendall girls soccer team improves to 6-0
Improving to 6-0, Kendall blanked Alexander 5-0 in a Genesee Region League girls soccer game this afternoon.
Ryleigh Denning scored 3 goals as Charlie Fox and Mackenzie Cooper both netted 1.
Payton Vogt had 2 assists as Jersie Drake and Izzy D’Agostino both had 1.
Alden 2, Roy-Hart/Medina 1
Roy-Hart/Medina dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Alden in a non league girls soccer game this evening.
Maria Trombley scored the Lady Rams goal off an assist from Ruth Walker.
Barker, Akron, Wilson score field hockey wins
League leading (5-0) Barker shutout Newfane (1-2) 5-0 and runner-up Akron (3-0) downed Roy-Hart (0-4) 7-1 in Niagara-Orleans League field hockey action this afternoon.
Elise Monaco scored 2 goals for Barker as Lilly Reyes, Milayna May and Naomi Bish 1 each.
Brooke Milhollen scored 2 goals for Akron which also got 1 tally each from Madigan Regan, Abigail Schlabach, Madison Gates, Brooklyn Gerstung and Scarlett Ranney.
Adella Dukes scored the Roy-Hart goal.
In the other N-O contest Wilson (2-3) blanked visiting Medina (0-3) 6-0 as Brynn Lepsch scored 3 goals, Taylor Ernest 2 and Katie Hardy 1.
